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Physics LibreTexts

2.4: Convergence

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Figure II.5 shows a lens made of glass of refractive index 1.50. To the left of the lens is air (refractive index 1.00). To the right of the lens is water (refractive index 1.33). A converging beam of light is incident upon the lens directed toward a virtual object O that is 60 cm from the lens. After refraction through the lens, the light converges to a real image I that is 20 cm from the lens.

Screen Shot 2017-07-14 at 9.25.27 AM.png

I am not at this stage going to ask you to calculate the radii of curvature of the lens. (You can’t – you need one more item of information.) I just want to use this diagram to define what I mean by convergence.

The convergence of the light at the moment when it is incident upon the lens is called the initial convergence C1, and it is defined as follows:

initial convergence=Refractive indexObjectdistance.

The convergence of the light at the moment when it leaves the lens is called the final convergence C2, and it is defined as follows:

final convergence=Refractive indexImagedistance.

Sign convention

  • Converging light has positive convergence;
  • Diverging light has negative convergence.

Example 2.4.1

Initial convergence = +1.0060=+0.01667 cm-1.

Final convergence = +1.3320=+0.06650 cm-1.

Notice that, before the light enters the lens, it is in a medium of refractive index 1.00. Thus the relevant refractive index is 1.00, even though the virtual object is in the water.


This page titled 2.4: Convergence is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jeremy Tatum via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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